Healing a Broken Heart
by Princess of Nintendo
Summary: This takes place during Reyna, Nico, and Coach Gleeson Hedge's journey to Camp Half-Blood with the Athena Parthenos. Reyna is still torn apart inside because of Jason choosing Piper over her. Will Nico be able to heal her broken heart? Hints of Reyna x Nico. Disclaimer: I do not own Heroes of Olympus or any of its characters. They belong to Rick Riordan.


Reyna sat up and yawned. The sky was still dark. Nearby, the faun-no, _satyr_-who had accompanied them, Coach Hedge, was sitting watch next to the Athena Parthenos.

Reyna gazed at the statue. To her, it was impressive, especially for a Greek statue. It was a forty feet tall statue of Athena and the victory goddess, Nike, made of ivory and gold. In the dark of night, the Athena Parthenos seemed to glow. No doubt it radiated magic.

Reyna stared at her hands. Annabeth had been so sure that taking the statue to Camp Half-Blood, the Greek demigod camp, would help prevent a war between the Romans and the Greeks.

At first, Reyna had been convinced that it would work. Now, she was beginning to doubt Annabeth's judgment. How could one statue stop a whole war?

Reyna had always had mixed feelings about Annabeth. She was the daughter of Minerva, who was viewed as a virgin goddess by the Romans. And she was the girlfriend of Percy, one of the boys Reyna liked.

And yet, Reyna thought of Annabeth as an equal. They were both the children of war goddesses. Reyna couldn't help but admire her. The daughter of Minerva was brave. She had gone all the way to Tartarus and come back through the Doors of Death.

But, in spite of her doubts, Reyna felt that she needed to do this. She needed to prove herself to Annabeth, to Jason, to all of the others. And, if there was a possible chance this could help stop a war, then she had to do it.

Reyna frowned. Maybe some of the Roman soldiers, like Dakota or Leila, would submit to her. But how would they ever convince Octavian to accept peace? That war-crazed augur would do anything to get revenge on the Greeks. It was as if he was a descendant of Mars or Nemesis, rather than Apollo.

Reyna looked over at their third companion. Nico di Angelo was still sleeping. She wondered why he was so secretive. Yes, he was the son of Pluto, and was probably mistreated for it. But his half sister, Hazel, was very outgoing compared to him. What was so strange about him?

Reyna narrowed her eyes. She had never particularly liked Nico much. After all, he had been visiting both Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood. Which side was he on? She'd always thought of him as a little creepy, too.

Pushing the thoughts out of her mind, Reyna laid back down and tried to go to sleep. But, no matter how much she tried, she couldn't fall asleep. So she stood up and walked over to Coach Hedge.

The satyr was propped up against the Athena Parthenos, his eyes closed. Reyna felt a flash of irritation when she realized he was sleeping. _Holy Bellona! _she thought. _What if we were attacked?_

Reyna leaned over and prodded him. "Wake up!" she hissed. Coach Hedge's eyes half-opened. "Huh, what's that?" he mumbled.

When he saw her, Coach Hedge's eyes flew wide open. "What? Is there an attack?! If there is, who is it? 'Cause I'm ready to kill 'em! I'll crush-"

"All right," interrupted Reyna. "There's no attack, Coach. But you're on watch, remember? You're supposed to be awake. If there _was _an attack, and we were all sleeping, then the attackers would have a huge advantage."

Coach Hedge frowned. "But-" Reyna raised her hand to silence him. "I'll watch for you," she offered. "I can't sleep anyway. Go get proper rest, Coach."

Coach Hedge grinned. "Got it! Oh, and if there is an attack, you gotta wake me! I'll smash 'em to bits for you! I won't let them get near this baby!" He poked the Athena Parthenos with his finger.

Reyna nodded impatiently. "Of course," she responded. Coach Hedge trotted over to a patch of grass, about eight feet away from Nico. He plopped onto the ground and closed his eyes.

Reyna sat down next to the Athena Parthenos. She rested her hand on the huge ivory foot of the statue. Hopefully, depending on how strong Nico is, they will be able to reach Camp Half-Blood soon.

Reyna unsheathed her knife. She stared at her reflection in the golden blade. Her face was covered in scratches. There were dirt stains on her cheeks and forehead. Her black hair was tied up in a messy braid.

Reyna sighed. Memories of her time working with Jason as praetor flooded back to her. She was in love with Jason, and she'd had hopes that he liked her too. Her hopes had been shattered when he disappeared, and later returned to Camp Jupiter with a new girlfriend, a daughter of Venus named Piper.

Reyna's eyes watered. Jason had resigned his post of praetor to Frank Zhang, probably so he could run off to Camp Half-Blood with Piper again. Not that she minded working with Frank, but some part of her wanted to work with Jason again. She wanted to be with him.

A tear trickled down her muddy cheek. Jason had chosen Piper over her. And her other crush, Percy, had turned her down for Annabeth. Never had Reyna felt so alone. Of course, she was glad to have Frank as praetor with her. But she knew that no one would ever mean as much to her as Jason did.

Reyna heard a yawn. She turned her head and saw Nico stirring. He rolled over onto his back, his head turned to face toward her. "What...?" he murmured, sitting up. "Is it time to go yet?"

Reyna turned her head away from him and wiped her eyes furiously. _I can't let him see that I'm crying! _She looked into her knife again. It was hard to tell, but she hoped that she didn't look like she'd been crying.

Reyna swallowed, then turned to the son of Pluto. "No, Nico," she said. "It's still the middle of the night. Go back to sleep. I'll wake you up when it's time."

Instead of lying back down, Nico stood up and walked over to her. He sat down a few feet away. "I'm not tired," he told her stiffly. "I'll help watch."

Reyna didn't argue. She sheathed her golden knife and gazed into the distance. Hills and grassland seemed to go on forever. A stream cut through a gap between two hills, its surface sparkling in the starlight.

As she sat there, Reyna thought of Scipio. Her brave pegasus had been terribly injured during a gryphon attack, on her way to find the _Argo II_. She'd had no choice but to send Scipio back to Tartarus.

Reyna's eyes stung from the tears. If only Scipio was with her now. But she knew it would take him many years, probably hundreds, to regenerate. She missed her loyal winged friend. They had been through so much together, until the gryphons took him down.

Reyna searched through her pocket and pulled out a small box. Inside was a picture of her with Jason, both in their armor and praetor outfits. Pain stabbed her heart. They both looked so happy.

But, Reyna knew it would never be the same again. Jason was with Piper now; there was nothing she could do about it. She had to move on in life and forget about him. A tear fell down her face.

"Reyna?" Suddenly she realized Nico was staring at her. Panic crashed over her. _He knows I'm crying! _She hated it when other people saw her cry. She quickly slipped the box back into her pocket.

"What's wrong?" Reyna could hear concern in his voice. _Concern? _She was confused. She'd never seen Nico show sympathy or concern for anyone.

She didn't want to lie, but she couldn't tell him the real reason she was crying. "Nothing," muttered Reyna through clenched teeth. "I just...never mind. It doesn't matter. I'm fine."

Nico arched his eyebrows. "You don't look fine," he argued. Reyna rubbed her eyes, which were probably red and swollen from crying. She wasn't about to tell Nico di Angelo what was wrong, so she decided to change the subject.

"Do you think this will work?" Reyna asked him quietly. "Will taking the Athena Parthenos to Camp Half-Blood really help stop a war?"

Nico gave her a sidelong glance. He was silent for a long time. Finally, he said, "Percy is certain that it will bring peace between the camps. And I believe him."

Reyna wondered why he was talking about Percy-this had been Annabeth's idea-but she decided not to mention that. "All right," she murmured.

Nico's eyes were narrowed. "You still haven't answered my question." He watched her closely. "What's wrong?" he repeated.

Reyna felt more tears come to her eyes. She blinked them away. "I-I just..." She didn't look at him. "I-I was just thinking about..." She forced herself to pull out the box and show Nico the picture.

Nico squinted. "That's you and...Jason, isn't it?" he asked. Reyna nodded. She sniffled and wiped her nose. She knew she probably looked ridiculous, but she couldn't stop crying.

Nico handed the photo back to her. He gazed at her without blinking. "You have a crush on Jason, don't you?" he whispered. "You're upset because he chose Piper over you."

Reyna stared at him, stunned. _How did he know? _It was as if he had just read her mind. But before she could say anything, Nico spoke.

"I know how it feels," he went on. There was bitterness in his tone. "To have the person you care about most chose another over you. To be destroyed inside by love."

Reyna blinked. She couldn't imagine Nico having romantic feelings for anyone. She could hardly imagine him showing any kind of affection to anyone, except Hazel, maybe. So what was he talking about?

Inside, Reyna knew Nico was right. Jason dating Piper instead of her had hurt her inside, leaving a scar that could never be healed.

Still, something about what he said puzzled her. "Wait...what?" Reyna breathed. "Love? What do you mean? Who do you..." She trailed off.

Nico didn't meet her gaze. "It doesn't matter anymore," he said simply. "Well, Reyna, good night. I'm going back to sleep again." He stood up.

Reyna's skin crawled. Nico still hadn't answered her question. "No," she said, reaching up to tug his sleeve lightly. "There's something you're hiding from me. Tell me."

Nico crossed his arms. "It's none of your business," he snapped. Reyna stood up and rested her hand on his shoulder. "Please," she said. "I want to know."

Nico pushed her hand off his shoulder, his face turned away from her. Reyna leaned toward him and saw water glimmering on his cheek. She realized he was crying.

Reyna frowned. "Are you okay, Nico?" she whispered. He turned back to her. His eyes glistened with more tears. She couldn't understand why he was crying.

"I-I..." Nico blinked a few times. "All right, I'll tell you," he muttered. "I have a crush on Percy. Okay?!" He glared at her with teary eyes.

"What?" Reyna stumbled backward. "_Percy_?" She stared at him. "But Percy, he... You're..." Nico scowled, as if he knew what she was going to say. "I _know_," he snapped. "I know he's another boy."

Reyna could see the hurt in his eyes, and she suddenly felt a flash of guilt. "Nico, I'm not judging you," she said quickly. "I was just...surprised, I suppose."

Nico didn't look completely convinced, but he nodded. "Jason was the only other person who knew," he murmured. "I was forced by Cupid to admit it."

Reyna felt tears prick her eyes at the mention of Jason's name, but she blinked them back. "Cupid?" she echoed. "The god of love. Son of Venus."

Nico nodded. He let out a long sigh. "Because of my feelings, I felt unaccepted," he whispered. "Unwanted. And being the son of Hades, the god of the dead, doesn't help. The only person who ever really accepted me was Bianca... And she's dead."

Reyna blinked. "Hazel accepts you," she told him. "_I _accept you. Don't give up, Nico. There are people out there who care about you." She wasn't sure where those words were coming from, but she felt like she had to say them.

Nico raised his eyebrows. "Are there?" he demanded. "Maybe Hazel does, but she's my sister. Children of Hades aren't usually accepted." He scowled. "You're not just saying this to make me feel better, are you?"

Reyna stared at him. "Of course not!" she protested. She swallowed, then went on. "I know what I'm saying, Nico," she replied. "Look, I'm trying to be nice."

Nico didn't respond. Reyna felt her heart ache with sympathy for him. Being the son of Pluto-no, Hades, as the Greeks call him-must be hard. And having feelings for Percy... No wonder he felt left out.

_Perhaps that's why he went to both Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter,_ realized Reyna, _but he felt that he didn't belong at either. But, once the seven demigods defeat Gaea, and we find a way to prevent war between Greeks and Romans...what will happen to Nico?_

Gently, Reyna grabbed Nico's arm. To her surprise, he didn't pull his arm away. He just stood there, silent, staring into the distance.

"I'm sorry if I offended you, Nico," Reyna began carefully. "But, understand that not everyone hates you. There _are _people who care about you. There are people out there who would understand how you feel and respect you. Not everyone hates you, Nico." She added hastily, "I don't hate you."

Nico gazed at her. "Maybe," he murmured, so quietly that Reyna had to strain to hear him. "Maybe you're right." As he finished talking, he yawned.

Reyna couldn't suppress a smile. "You should go get some rest," she told Nico. "I'll watch the Athena Parthenos, okay? I'll see you in the morning."

He smiled back, which surprised her. Nico di Angelo _never_ smiled. For a moment, Reyna wondered if her words had touched his heart.

"All right." Nico reached over and kissed her cheek. He gazed into her eyes. "Good night, Reyna." With a smile, he turned and walked back to where he was sleeping.

Reyna stared after him, stunned. _Did he really just...? _It wasn't a full kiss on the lips, just a kiss on her cheek, but it shocked her. _Why..._

Reyna couldn't stop herself from smiling. "Good night, Nico," she whispered, warmth spreading through her as she watched him lay down and close his eyes.

Reyna sat down again next to the Athena Parthenos, thinking of Jason. She remembered their time as praetor together. But this time, she didn't cry.

_That will never happen,_ Reyna reminded herself. _Nothing will be the same again. Jason is with Piper now. I will continue to be praetor of New Rome, alongside Frank Zhang. _

_ It's time for me to move on._


End file.
